Margaret Raymo at Sourcebooks/Kwame Alexander Books has acquired The Monster Hunter's Daughter by debut author Laura M. Rocha, a magical middle-grade adventure inspired by Mexican folklore traditions in which a young monster hunter must discover the truth about the colorful alebrijes all around her. Publication is planned for summer 2027; Andrea Colvin at Andrea Colvin Creative Agency sold world rights.

Dena Neusner at Apples & Honey Press has bought world rights to The Purim Puppet Show by Emma Carlson Berne (l.) (Rose Spoke Out: The Story of Rose Schneiderman), illustrated by Zoe Bysal. This early reader chapter book launches the Mensch Squad Mysteries series about a group of friends working to solve the mystery of a missing puppet before the Purim play. Publication is slated for spring 2027; the creators were unagented.

Ben Rosenthal at Stonefruit Studio has acquired, at auction, Caldecott Honoree Jason Griffin's The Book Is Lava, an interactive adventure picture book in which readers must avoid, outrace, and ultimately conquer the lava and other epic hazards scattered across the pages. Publication is set for fall 2028; Elena Giovinazzo at Heirloom Literary & Media negotiated the deal for world English rights.

Jill Davis at Hippo Park/Astra has bought Halloworms by Daniel Wiseman (Don't Hug Doug; the Baby Scientist series), a picture book about four worm friends who will do just about anything to win a Halloween costume contest. Publication is scheduled for fall 2028; Teresa Kietlinski at Bookmark Literary handled the deal for world rights.

Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow has acquired debut author-illustrator Jackie Verbitski's Out Here, a dual-POV picture book about two children searching for friendship from opposite ends of the universe, but finding it, unexpectedly, much closer to home. Publication is planned for fall 2027; Elena Giovinazzo at Heirloom Literary & Media brokered the deal for world English rights.

Renee Kelly at Penguin Workshop has bought world rights to Welcome to the Family: A Celebration of New Arrivals, a picture book by Erica S. Perl (l.), illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee, a heartfelt message to a new family member as well as an homage to Perl's aunt, Sesame Street writer and pioneering disability inclusion advocate Emily Perl Kingsley. Publication is slated for summer 2028; Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown Ltd. represented the author, and Deborah Warren at East West Literary represented the illustrator.

Grace Maccarone at Holiday House has acquired world rights to the picture book Dream Green: A Healthier Planet Especially for You by Sarah Nelson (l.) (Follow the Flyway), illustrated by Mariona Cabassa (The Air We Share), a road map to a cleaner, healthier world filled with climate solutions, green beauty, and an abundance of hope, purpose, and community. Publication is set for spring 2027; Marietta B. Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.

Kate DePalma at Barefoot Books has bought world rights to I Can! by Mikey Henry Jr. (l.) (Dinosaur Rap), illustrated by Argentinian illustrator Pupé; DePalma and Andrea Pérez will edit. This singalong picture book celebrates the one and only perfectly imperfect YOU. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027; the author represented himself, and Kate Johnson at Collaborate Agency represented the illustrator.

Kimberly von Fange and Bunmi Ishola at WaterBrook have acquired world rights to Casting Cares by Bonnie Clark (l.), illustrated by Mette Engell, in which a child observes the carefree way of nature and realizes she, too, is deeply loved and no longer feels weighed down by her growing worries. Publication is planned for fall 2027; Kristen Terrette at Martin Literary Management represented the author, and Robbin Brosterman at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.

Clare Vaughn at HarperCollins/Avon A has acquired world English rights, in an exclusive submission, to We Brought Her Back by Lindsay Ribar (Rocks Fall Everyone Dies), a YA queer horror novel about a girl who resurrects her dead girlfriend, only to learn that the demon who caused her death has hitched a ride back to the land of the living. Publication is slated for summer 2027; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group did the deal.

Ben Rosenthal at Stonefruit Studio has bought This Book Is Trying to Kill You, a new pick-your-path middle grade series by Lauren Magaziner (l.), illustrated by Lauren Schmidt, interactive adventures filled with choices to make and puzzles to solve where one wrong move can lead to a dead end. The first book, Bloody Susan, follows Ezra Glick and Billie Frazier as they accidentally unleash a vengeful ghost in Ezra’s haunted house—and find themselves trapped inside. Publication is set for summer 2027; Alexandra Levick at Writers House represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself in the two-book deal.

Shana Corey at Random House Graphic has bought, in an exclusive submission, world rights to There's Always a Catch by Julio Anta (l.), illustrated by Jose Pimienta, a middle grade graphic novel about a Mexican American boy working on a sugar beet colony who finds solace and solidarity in a traveling baseball league, where he learns to unionize his family and fellow workers. Publication is planned for fall 2028; Jessica Mileo at Inkwell Management represented the author, and Elizabeth Bennett at Transatlantic Agency represented the illustrator.

Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Mistland by Maggie Heinze, a debut illustrated middle grade fantasy that follows a girl whose archaeologist parents vanished pursuing a hidden world no one believed existed. After she accidentally summons a creature from that place, she discovers the myth is real and must journey there with her best friend and a ragtag team of explorers to bring her parents home. Publication is slated for spring 2027; Abigail Frank at GreenburgerKids sold world rights.

Chris Duffy at Union Square Kids has bought author-illustrator Phil Corbett's Ghost and Toast: Slice to Meet You, a banter-filled middle grade graphic novel about a small ghost and a piece of toast having misadventures around a strange house. Publication is scheduled for winter 2027; Susannah Palfrey at Piccadilly Press sold North American rights in a three-book deal.

Hannah Smith at Owl Hollow Press has acquired Marvel & Happy by Candice Marley Conner (The Existence of Bea Pearl; M Is for Moon Pie). The middle grade eco-adventure follows 12-year-old Marvel, searching for the mother who abandoned her, and Happy, a magical Sirenian girl pursued by a ruthless poacher, whose unlikely friendship leads them on a Gulf Coast adventure. Publication is planned for fall 2027; Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Literary Management sold North American English rights.

Taylor Norman at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has acquired world rights to Hot Spaghetti Brain! by Schneider Award-winning author Jordan Scott (l.) (I Talk Like a River). This collection of radical poetry channels Gertrude Stein, Minecraft, and Hatchet to form a heart-wrenching immersion in the molten lava of a kid's inner life. New Yorker artist Joana Avillez will illustrate; publication is slated for summer 2028. Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists represented the author, and David Kuhn and Kate Mack at Aevitas Creative represented the artist.

Lynne Missen at Tundra Books has bought world rights to Esme's Happy Place by Zalika Reid-Benta (l.), illustrated by Camilla Sucre. It's the last day of summer and Esme's mother is going to make a back-to-school feast, with all of Esme's favorite foods, and that means going somewhere special: Little Jamaica. Publication is set for summer 2027; Amy Tompkins at Transatlantic Agency represented the author, and Helen Boyle at Pickled Ink represented the illustrator.

Mauricio Velázquez de León at Sourcebooks/duopress has acquired Wild Weather by Phil Stamper (l.), illustrated by Claudia Marianno, a nonfiction picture book in which the Science Solvers Bureau recruits young readers to crack 17 classified meteorological case files, from the secret of the unbreakable heat dome to the mystery of the Northern Lights. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Brent Taylor at Triada US represented the author, and Atlanta Japp at Advocate Art represented the illustrator.